Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Hope in the Dark, Part 2: Waiting on God

Episode Date: August 19, 2018

When life hits hard, it plunges us into a sea of questions we hoped we’d never have to ask. But when you feel broken, abandoned, and struggling to find answers, there’s a beacon in the storm. A comfort in your pain. A Hope in the Dark. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So what do you do when you find yourself hitting a spiritual wall? With everything in you, you want to believe in the goodness of God, but what you see with your eyes is different than what you want to believe in your heart. What do you do when you find yourself wrestling with doubts? When what you always thought was true, you're not quite sure. is true. What do you do when you want to believe that God is good, but life is not? That's what we're talking about over these few weeks. We're in one of the most raw and honest books of the Bible. We're studying the book of Habakkuk. Last week we were in Habakkuk chapter 1.

If you're with us, Habakkuk 1 is not a sitcom sermon. Who knows what a sitcom sermon is? Sitcom, all the problems are resolved in 30 minutes or less, including commercial breaks. chapter one it's not a sitcom sermon you're still hanging we're in chapter two today there's three chapters in the book of abacic chapter two not a sitcom sermon a lot of people said last week was difficult it was raw it was hard to handle if you didn't like last week's message you're really not going to like this one don't you lean to your neighbor and say you're not going to like this one welcome to life church we're here to make you feel good about yourself. We're in Habakkuk chapter two. Habakkuk one, don't walk away from God in

chapter one. Chapter two, don't quit on God in chapter two. Chapter one was all about wondering. God, I know you can, I believe you will, but you're not, and I don't understand why you're not. Chapter two is all about waiting. Wondering is difficult. Waiting is even more difficult. If you missed last week, let me give you a little backstory on the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk is a minor prophet.

He lived and wrote and prophesied about 600 years before the birth of Christ. Most prophets would do this. They would speak to the people on behalf of God. This is what God says to you, people. Habakkuk was different. He didn't speak to the people on behalf of God. Instead, he actually spoke to God on behalf of the people and said, God, I don't understand why you're not.

I don't think this is fair. You're supposed to be a just God, but I'm not really sure you are. Where are you, God? Why aren't you doing what I think you should do? His people, the people of Judah, at one time, they were blessed and prosperous, but now there was tremendous corruption and they were suffering greatly. And so Habakkuk cries out, God deliver us essentially. And God says, okay, I'm about to do something and you're not going to believe it.

It's going to amaze you if I told you you wouldn't even believe it. And so if I'm Abakakak, I'm thinking, finally God's going to come through, he's going to answer my prayers. Everything's going to be great. We're going to be happy and live, you know, blessed lives. And God says, I'm going to raise up your enemy, people who are even worse than you are. The Babylonians, and they're going to issue judgment upon you. He's like, beside himself. This doesn't make sense.

This isn't the God that I want to believe in. Chapter one, he's wondering, why don't you do what I want you to do? Chapter two, he's waiting. God, where are your promise is going to come true? Let me tell you what I'm meeting on right now. Besides the very personal story I've told you about nonstop, because my world is a wreck because of our daughter. I'm waiting on my friend Eric.

It's not his real name. Don't want to embarrass him. But Eric is a strong follower of Christ, and he made some bad decisions. And betrayed his marriage vows. And now he's not sure what he wants to do with his life. Does he want to go back, or does he want to go with a new person? And my heart breaks for him and for his wife and for his children. And we're all praying and believing.

that he will hear the spirit of God and he'll do the right thing. And so far, he's not. Brian and Carissa, they're on our staff. Pastor Brian is the pastor of Life Church Keller. His precious seven-year-old daughter, Macy, had 31 seizures in a day. No diagnosis. Last week, she was at the same doctor in New Mexico. My daughter, Mandy, went to.

We're praying for a diagnosis. and believing, waiting, waiting, God. Touch this precious little girl. Then there's Luke. Luke's my buddy. Luke is 11 years old. Luke has inoperable brain tumor, brain cancer. And it's infecting his eyesight and all sorts of other things.

This is a little Luke. He came to my office before he moved away. Two weeks ago, this is us hanging out and this is us having fun. Just me and a Luke. and a precious kid. Luke has led so many kids to Christ on his floor at the hospital. He's bravely endured chemo. He's a champion of kids. We sat right over here in the seat and on loose last week. And I just, I went up to him before he moved away. And I didn't know what to say. And then having never said this before to anybody, but I just grabbed his shoulders. I just looked him

in the eye. I said, you're a hero to me. And then I just said, you have my heart. Because he does. He's got my heart. So Luke came into my office on Monday and he made me a painting. He gave me this, little Luke. And so Luke has my heart. And I'm waiting and praying and believing that God will hear our prayers and do a miracle in little Luke's body because we have so much faith and little Luke trust Jesus so much. What do you do when you're wondering, when you're waiting?

I wrote what is probably the most personal book that I've ever written. It's out on Tuesday, Hope in the Dark, believing God is good when life is not. It's all based on the book of Abakic. If your life is good, if everything's up and the right, this book is not for you. This book is for those who are wondering and those who are waiting. It is available at still at some life churches.

If you buy it here, all the proceeds, go to the church. if you want to buy it online, Amazon, Mardell and such, it's available there. And if you know someone is hurting, I pray it will speak to them. What do you do when you're stuck, when you're hurting? Today what I want to do is get into chapter two. I want to look at three different things that God's word tells us to do, very specifically, three things Habakkuk does when you're hurting, when you're wondering, when you don't know what to do.

Let me show you the first thing that we're going to see to do. Some of you, this is what you need to do. You're hurting, you're wondering. The first thing we see is Habakkuk is going to listen to God. What I like about this is that when God's not doing what you want to do, some people walk away, some people doubt God, some people quit on God. But Habakkuk doesn't do any of those things. Instead, what he does is he positions himself in the most strategic place to see the hand of God.

and to hear the voice of God. Verse one of Abakak two. He says, I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts. I'm going to be in the best possible place to see the hand of God and hear the voice of God. He says, I will look to see what He,

I will look to see what God will say to me. This isn't easy to do when you're hurting because when you're hurting, what you want to do is you want to tell God to do, what you want him to do and know he should do. God, reach Eric and draw him home. God, touch little Macy and heal her from seizures.

God, bring healing to little Luke. If you do, we'll bring you glory and will brag on you. And God, if you don't, I don't know how I can defend you, God. It's really difficult to talk about your goodness when you don't do what I know you could do. You want to tell God what to do. Instead of telling him what to do at those times, it's important to listen to him, our God is a God who speaks. God can speak through His Word.

If you're a follower of Christ, I would beg you to be in His Word every single day, to feed on His Word. Open up your U-Version app, get your plan and just feed on His Word. He speaks to you. He'll speak to you through His Spirit. He can speak audibly. I've never heard the audible voice of God, but he can speak to you in your soul, in your spirit in a way.

Sometimes it's even louder than if it were audible. He can speak through people. He can speak through circumstances. He can speak through a message. He can speak through a song. He will speak to you. If he doesn't, don't panic. Just because he's silent does not mean he is absent.

He is always there. He's always with you. Listen for the voice of God. Now, let me just warn you and be real honest with you. Sometimes when you hear from him, he's going to tell you something that you don't. want to hear, which is exactly what he did to Habakkuk. You're going to do something amazing, and then God says, yeah, I'm going to raise up your enemy, the people who are worse than you,

and they're going to bring judgment upon you. That's not what I was looking for, God. God, I ask you to do this, and you're doing the opposite. That's not what I wanted to hear. Sometimes God will speak to you, and he will say something. You don't want to hear. You don't want to hear. Here, the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, that there's probably no better example of a guy who deserved for God to do what he asked him to do. He had something called a thorn in the side. We don't know what it is. Theologians guess it was blindness or an addiction or a pain or depression, all sorts of different things. We don't know what it was.

But he begged, pleaded with God three times. Seasons of pleading. Take it away, God. Do anything, God. Have mercy on me. Take it away. Take it away. Take it away.

And God spoke to him and God did not say yes, but God said no. You asked, but my answer is no. And then God said, by grace is enough for you. He didn't say what Paul wanted to hear. If I'm Paul, I'm pushing back a little bit. Do you remember who I am? I'm Paul. I don't want your grace.

I want your power. Peter, he needs your grace. Remember, he denied you. Uno, dos, tres. Give him your grace. Give me your power. Thomas, Mr. I'm not going to believe unless I see.

Give him your grace. I want your power. Do you remember what I did for you? You ever feel like that? You think for a minute with my daughter's sick, hadn't crossed my mind, God, you remember what my family's doing for you? want you get on with it, do something for us?

I mean, I'm just telling you, if this is too real, I'm sorry. If I'm Paul, I'm like, okay, I was beaten for you so many times I was left for dead, whipped across my back, shipwrecked, snake bitten, you know how I feel about snakes? I was stoned and not recreationally speaking. I need to say that for many of you. Oh, praise the Lord. I can suffer for Jesus too, you know. It's a medical condition.

After all I've been through for you, give me your power. No, I'm going to give you my grace. What you want is not what I'm going to give you. But what I'm going to give you is so much better. Listen. Listen. Listen. then God's going to show us once we hear what he's saying.

Number one, we listen. Number two, we write. We write it down. We document it. We record what God says to us. And this is the very thing that God says to Habakkuk. The Lord replied to Habakkuk and said, what say it aloud with me, all of our churches? He said, write down the revelation and make it point.

plane on the tablets. Document it, record it, write it down. Why do we do this? Because we have a spiritual enemy whose mission is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Our spiritual enemy wants to take from you what God gives to you. God will give you a word. God will give you faith. God will give you a moment of peace. And our enemy wants to take away from you the very word that God gives to you. And And this happens all the time. For some of you, it was last week. You were in church. You heard from God.

God spoke to you. God blessed you. God gave you faith. God moved you. You got in the car. You drove out. Your kids were fighting. He's touching me.

Don't let him touch me. Draw a line in the middle. You look back. You came home. You're like, did God really speak to me? Or is that something else? You got distracted. Satan wants to take from you what God gives to you.

Write it down. Document it. Put it on paper. Go back to it, hang on to it, believe it, claim it, embrace it, live in it. Don't let your enemy take it from you. This is something that Amy and I have been hanging on to months ago with our daughter, Mandy, hurting in agony every day in pain. God told Amy very clearly to rejoice and thank him for the healing that Mandy does not yet have.

So you know what she did? She wrote it down in her journal, date, time, moment. And months later, we can go back and look to that moment. Whenever Satan wants to get us to doubt, to fear, to walk away, we go back and say, no, there it is. On that day, in that moment, this is, we're like Paul and Silas in prison. Long before the shackles come free, we're praising God in advance. Before we see the miracle, we're thanking him for his goodness. Listen to what God will say to you.

Write it down. And then the third thing is difficult. It is no fun. It's where some of you are living right now. It's where my family is living right now. You listen, you write, and then God's gonna say, you wait. You wait.

Wondering is no fun. Waiting is much worse. You wait, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait on the faithfulness of God. Some of you right now, you're waiting. Will my child ever come back to Christ? You're waiting, praying.

What you want to see, you don't see, you see the opposite. Is God ever going to hear the cry of my heart and give me the marriage that I want to have? It's got to ever give me a job with benefits. It's got to ever stop the migraines. It's got going to ever help take me out of this depression that holds me down. You wait.

Verse three of Habakkuk 2 is one of my favorite verses. This is what scripture says. God says this. God says, for the revelation awaits an appointed time. Somebody say appointed time. The revelation awaits an appointed time. It speaks of the end and it will not prove false. Though it linger,

wait for it. though it linger, wait for it. It will certainly come and not delay. Though it linger, wait for it. I was talking to a guy at the gym and he told me he's waiting on his wife. I said, where is she? He said, I haven't met her yet. I'm waiting on her.

I'm waiting on her. And I said, oh, I get that. He said, you don't understand. I said, I'm waiting on her. I said, oh, I understand, waiting, dating, and the deep desire for mating. He said, that's exactly while I'm waiting. Some of you are there right now. Though it linger, seems like it's taken forever.

Though it linger, wait for him. Though it linger, wait for her. And while you're waiting, may I remind you, single is a whole number. In other words, you don't need somebody else. to help you be fruitful and faithful for the glory of God. Single is a whole number. And may I also remind you,

God may be preparing someone really special for you. And the best meals take a little longer to prepare. In other words, your gourmet dessert may be baking as we speak, though it linger, wait for that alarm to go off. Before, I'm going to end this metaphor, before I say something inappropriate about anything, but anyway, forget that, just wait for it. I love the way the Living Bible translates that very same verse. This is what it says, it says this.

But God says, but the things I plan won't happen right away. Then God says slowly, steadily, surely, as the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. if it seems slow, do not despair. For these things will surely come to pass, just be patient. They will not be overdue a single day. At the appointed time, God will deliver. At the appointed time, he will respond. At the appointed time, he will do his perfect will.

At the appointed time. In fact, I love the word in the Hebrew that's translated as appointed time. It's word moed. And it literally means perfect, unstoppable timing. of God. When it's the moed, it's coming. Kind of like whenever Amy gave birth to our third child, Anna, and she was about to get her epidural in, and then she said the baby's coming, and like, we need to get epidural. And she, that was, she never got an epidural after that. She said, she felt so close to God having a baby. I don't understand that. I think she needs counseling.

If I'm giving birth, I want drugs and more drugs, but no, Amy feels close to God in pain, whatever that means. And so she looks at me and she says, the baby's coming. I said, I'll go get a doctor. She said, no, you're not going to get a doctor, I said, I'll hurry. She said, no, you're delivering the baby. And I said, no, you're not. And she said, yes, you are! And so I delivered the baby. God is my witness. She's screaming and pushing herself off the back of the bed. I'm running to the back of the bed, pushing her head down, running to the place like that. I'm in the ready position. Like, I'm going to catch a ground ball. You know, and she, at that moment, literally, Anna came out, and I had her head, and then I dropped her only this far, but I did drop her. Technically, I was the closest human being when she

came out so I delivered her at the appointed time is going to happen. At the Moed, you can't stop it. Always remember, if it's not God's time, you can't force it. When it is God's time, you can't stop it. Though it linger, wait for it. His timing is perfect. You may say, it takes forever. I continue to wait. I'm not seeing it. It's not coming to pass. But I hope you'll remember if you're in the waiting zone, which is where I am, when you're trying to hang on to your faith and you're not seeing anything and you're getting impatient and you're starting to wonder and you're wondering and you're wondering and then you're waiting and you're wrestling. Where is God? Remember, God's delays are not God's denials. Just because you haven't seen it does not mean God is not going to do it.

Though it linger, wait for it. Though it linger, wait for it. A God, God's appointed time that will come to pass. Verse four, many theologians say, this is the most important verse in all of Habakkukes. Not my favorite, but maybe it's the most important. Habakkuk is beside himself. The Babylonians are bad. Where are they going to get their due?

And if you read in Abakic, too, there's what's known as the five woes of Babylon. Basically, God says, I'm going to get them, I'm going to get them, I'm going to get them, I'm going to get theirs. I am a just God. Habakkuk is waiting. God, when are you going to bring justice on us? We're going to bring justice on them?

I don't understand. He's confused. And this is what God says. God acknowledges the Babylonians are evil. See, the enemy Babylon is puffed up. His desires are not upright. But God's not talking to them. He's talking to Habakkuk.

And he says, but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. We'll live by God's faithfulness. In the New Testament, scripture says, the righteous will live by faith. The righteous will live by faith. We don't walk by sight. We walk by faith. Our faith is not based on what we see or what we want

or getting our desired outcome. Our faith is based on the character and the goodness and the nature of God. We live by faith. We live by faith. We live by faith. Pastor Brian, Chrisa, in Life Church Keller, you're living by faith. Pastor Brian's wife posted this on Little Macy, the girl with the seizures.

If you look to the left, August 2nd, she's counting the seizures early in the day. And this is what Little Macy's mom wrote. On the hard days when the seizure count is over 15 by noon, you have to remind yourself that God is good. And she quotes the lyrics from the song that our church wrote, even in the unknown, I know that you're good. Even in the waiting, you are good.

My favorite parts of the song I cried all the way through it today is even in the waiting you're good, I will lift my hands while I'm waiting. Louder than my fears I will sing. May my heart ever be, Be reminded, you are good. The righteous will live by faith.

Even though I don't see with my eyes, I fight to trust you God with my heart. Even though everything I want you to do, you're not doing. I wait for it. I wait for your goodness. I wait for your glory to be revealed. though it linger, wait for it.

Though it's still not coming. Wait for it. Wait for it. Habakkuk is disturbed, confused, upset, angry, feels betrayed, questioning, doubting, trying to hang on. and then he says three words in verse 20 almost as if he's reminding himself God is still in charge he says but the Lord everybody said but the Lord but God is in his holy temple even though I don't get it even though things aren't going the way I think they should but I remind myself but God is still

in his holy temple no matter no matter what I see, I choose faith. No matter what I feel I choose faith. Even in my doubts, I will lift my hands. I don't see a way, but with God there's always a way. I am aching, but in my heart, I choose to trust God. I don't see what I want to see, but because of the faithfulness of God,

I will choose to walk by faith. I don't understand this, but I believe with everything in me, my God is still good. but God is still on the throne because he is still there. I can worship him before I see him move. I can praise him before I see him act. Even in the waiting, I believe that he is good. So I was talking to Mandy, my daughter.

And I said, I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud. I know that when God allowed this, when I said the word allowed, she kind of tinsed up and I just kept talking. I said, I know that God allowed this in your life, but the way you're enduring it honors God. Your faith is so strong and you're enduring with such integrity. She said, Dad, I just have to stop you. Your theology is off.

Oh, it is, young one. Correct my theology, sweetheart. Okay? She says, Dad, yeah, da, da, da, da. I don't say God is allowing this in my life. She said, do you see the different. that I'm able to make in so many people's lives. Like literally she's ministering to thousands of people online through this.

As she's hurting daily, she's ministering. She said, no, I believe God shows me for this because he knew that he could be glorified through it. And then she said, she said, Daddy, I'm not enduring. Enduring to me is passive. Something's happening to me and I'm just hanging on to it. She said, Daddy, with everything in me, I'm embracing this. I'm embracing this.

Habakkuk. Do you remember what Habakkuk means? Habakkuk does not mean wrestling and enduring, but the very name Habakkuk, it means to wrestle and to embrace. To wrestle. I don't like this. I would give anything if it would be different. But to hang on.

God, I don't understand, but I'm not letting go. Chapter 1 in the Wondering, don't walk away from God in chapter 1. Chapter 2 in the waiting, don't quit on God in the waiting. Though it linger, wait for it. If it's not God's time, you can't force it. When it is God's time, you can't stop it. He is still good in the waiting. So in my mind is 99% wrestling.

It's time. God, do it now. But there is the one part of me because of who God is, I will not let go. I will not let go. I will embrace even in the doubts, even in the pain, even when I don't understand.

There's somebody here. What do you need to do? Go ahead. Ressel. But don't let go of God. Chapter 1, wondering. Wondering is so difficult. Don't walk away in one.

Waiting is even more difficult. Don't quit on God. Next week is chapter 3. What happens in chapter 3? Oh, you have to be here next week. to find out what happens in chapter three. Remember, you cannot have chapter three without chapter one and without chapter two.

Don't walk away from God in chapter one. Don't quit on God in chapter two. He's big enough to handle the wrestling, but continue to embrace. So, Father, we ask that you would speak in a way that only you can. God, we want to hear. Even if what you say is not what we want to hear, God speak, we will record it, write it down, document it, this is what you say. And God, we wait on your promises. We wait on your goodness. We wait on your faithfulness. God, we wait

on you. And all of our churches, those of you who might be waiting right now, it could be for something in your own life, a prayer request, a need, a burden. It could be for somebody that you love, one of your children, for a relationship, for someone in your life group, for someone that you work with, for a buddy at school, for someone else's relative, for someone in your office, you're waiting, you're praying, you're believing, and you're still not seeing.

You may want God's power, but he may give you grace. At all of our churches, those who are trying to hang on, the waiting, I would be honored to pray with you. If you're waiting, trying to trust, trying to hang on, would you lift up your hands right now, just all of our different churches, lift up your hands in a moment of faith before God? Father, I pray, I pray God that you would speak. Speak somehow through this message. God speak daily through your word. God speak through the people in our life group. God speak through circumstances. God, God speak. And when you do, God, we'll record it. my God has given me the word and I will hang on to it.

God, give us the strength. Help us not just to endure in the waiting, but God help us to embrace to hang on to you. God, if we want power and you give us grace, we thank you, God, for the grace. We thank you for the grace. And God, we will worship you. even before we see the miracle.

And if we never see the miracle we want, God will continue to worship you. Because our faith isn't based on us getting what we want, God. Our faith is based on your character, your nature, your goodness, God. Help us to see, God, that you are good. Even in the waiting, God, we can lift our hands and remind ourselves, God, you are good. As you keep praying today at all of our churches,

is here's what's amazing to me. You may be waiting on something right now, but think about this. For some of you, God is waiting on you. God is waiting on you. Many of you, if we just kind of sat down and had an honest conversation

and I ask you, you know, where do you stand with God? You might say, I believe in them, I think, or I'm not really sure. But if you're really honest, no matter what your beliefs, you're not walking with him. You're not faithfully following his son, Jesus.

But maybe if you look back through your life and I ask you questions, you might say, yeah, there was this time when I was a kid and I kind of felt like God was drawing me. I heard this song and I felt like God was trying to get my attention. I had this car wreck or something went wrong or God saved me from something. I felt like God was trying to get my attention. God was trying to draw me near to him. And let me just tell you right now, if you've ever felt like that, you're right. God desires that every single one of us would know him intimately all throughout your life.

God has been reaching out to you. Scripture says that he is patient. He's waiting. He doesn't want anyone to do life without him. He doesn't want anyone to exist in eternity without his grace in his presence. He's waiting. Whenever the son in Luke 15 wandered away from the father, the father waited patiently day after day, will my son come back?

Will my son come home? Will my son come home? This is a picture of the love of God for somebody. He is waiting on you to say yes to his love. He's waiting on you to say yes to his God. grace. Who is Jesus? He is the son of God, perfect in every way. He died, gave his life, and everyone waited. Where is he? They waited another day. Where is he? On the third day when the stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty. He has risen. Why? So that anyone, and this includes you, who calls on his

name, would be saved, forgiven, made new. All of our churches, there are those of you. God is waiting on you. Now is the time, the appointed time. If it's not God's time, you can't force it when it is. You can't stop it. Some of you realize it is your time. Now is the moment to say yes. Turn from your sins. Turn to your Savior. Give your life completely to him.

All of our churches. No playing around. This is the time. This is the moment. You know it. Today by faith, I give my life to Jesus. That's your prayer. Lift your hands high now.

All over the place. Lift them out and say yes. Here in the middle section. God bless you right over here on this side. Others have you. Lift them up and cry out. Right back over here. All of our churches say, yes, I need Jesus.

Church online, you click right below me. Others of you, you're leaning into it. This is the moment. Cry out and say, yes, Jesus, I give my life to you. All of our churches, would you just pray together? Nobody prays alone. Pray Heavenly Father, I surrender my whole life to you. Forgive my sins.

Make me new. Be first the Lord of my life. Fill me with your spirit. so I could follow you and live for you. My life isn't mine. I give it to you. Thank you for a new life. Now you have mine.

In Jesus' name I pray. All of our churches, can somebody worship our God, celebrate big, welcome those born into God's family.